Startups Stories

Alexa, show me the winners: Storytailor leads Pure Pitch Rally prize tally ahead of tech launch

Storytailor’s marquee Pure Pitch Rally win comes at the perfect time for the Kansas City startup, its founders said. They’re preparing to roll out a new immersive storytelling platform through a partnership with Amazon’s Alexa+ next year — a move expected to bring their tech to more than 200 million Prime users. “It’s the most…

LISTEN: How the Midwest opened this German agtech company’s eyes to opportunity in the US

On this episode of our 12-part Plug and Play Topeka podcast series, we connect with Débora Moretti, co-CEO of NutriSen — a Berlin-based agtech startup building real-time molecular sensors to measure nutrient concentrations in plants directly on the field. Moretti shares how her team, alongside co-founder Tobias Vöpel, is merging biosensor technology, data-driven insights and…

Arch Grants taps homegrown founders, Missouri startup recruits for $1.6M in awards

ST. LOUIS — The Missouri maker behind a keychain designed to save lives from opioid overdoses is among nearly two dozen companies — together awarded $1.6 million — selected for the latest Arch Grants program. The innovation economy nonprofit on Thursday honored 19 startups, alongside three new members of its expanded Arch Grants Fellows Program….

LISTEN: Gripp helps farmers get a handle on multiple ag apps with dead-simple record keeping platform

On this episode of our 12-part Plug and Play Topeka podcast series, we explore how agtech startup Gripp is bringing structure and simplicity to farm operations. Its helps farmers connect their teams, track equipment and assets, and turn everyday routines into shared knowledge. Having grown up on a Wisconsin farm, co-founder and CEO Tracey Wiedmeyer…

ECJC carves out early-stage startup track for its popular mentoring program: GMS-Tech

After a decade boosting Kansas City founders, Growth Mentoring Service at ECJC is expanding to target assistance specifically toward the region’s early-stage technology startups — using the same proven approach: high-impact, team-based mentoring from top-tier business leaders who’ve already been through it. “We have all these amazing volunteer mentors with deep expertise as either technologists…